This is the Truth Network. My friend, as Christians, the issue of control is crucial. Who is going to control your life? Think about it now. If you want to learn more about this, I encourage you to stay with us, listen, and learn.
You're listening to Until He Comes, a blend of prophetic and practical biblical studies with Dr. Greg Hinnant, author of The Second Coming of Christ, His Appearing, His Return, Our Preparation. And now, author and teacher Greg Hinnant. Welcome to the program. Today we're going to continue our study on Enoch.
and how to live the Enoch lifestyle. But before we do, let me remind you of the Triad Revelation Conference. Coming up in September on the 14th through the 28th, Five nights in September, ten sessions, two each night. we will go into an in-depth study of the book of Revelation, arguably the most important of the sixty six books in the Bible today, because we stand on the cusp On the very edge. Of these things being fulfilled.
So it's vital that we understand it. Pastors, We're calling on you. to come to the study. If you have never studied the book of Revelation or done so in only a cursory or surface way, You need to know this book because, unless you know it in depth, you can't teach it in depth to your people. We urge you.
To come to this conference along with the Bible teachers and bring your congregation with you. This event will be held. On the nights of September 14th to the 28th, Monday, Thursday, two weeks in a row, ending on a Monday, From seven PM to nine fifteen. Two chessens each night. followed by a Q ⁇ A session.
It will occur at the First Baptist Church of Kernersville, which is centrally located between Greensboro, Winston and High Point. It's also just off I forty. There's accommodations in the entire area for anyone traveling from out of state. Very easy to get here from North Carolina, South Carolina, or Virginia. We encourage you to come to this very important conference where we will go deep into the book of Revelation.
and open truths which I'm sure you have not seen before or perhaps not seen this way. The cost is $45 per person. That includes the textbook, which is my 758 page In-depth study of Revelation called Revelation Notes is part of the Logos Library and also. We will have a 180-page study guide, which will track the specific lessons. ten lessons over these five evenings.
If you can't make it in person, you can make the conference by Zoom. The costs will be the same and the materials will be sent to you by PDF on the evening of the first class, September 14th.
So please consider attending. The Triad Revelation Conference. I guarantee you. You will get many new perspectives on the book of Revelation and what it means. It's showing you Jesus in His glory.
Jesus, as you have never seen it before, Jesus, as the judge of the church. The one James says is at the door, and certainly now, much more so. than when James wrote that two thousand years ago. This is the time that the book of Revelation needs to be understood, and we can't teach it well unless we understand it thoroughly. I encourage you to attend.
Now, in our study of Enoch in the last session, we discussed correctability. How important it is as disciples if we want to grow to be correctable. Tonight, we want to talk about the subject of control. Oh, my goodness, this is such a hair-raising, uncomfortable subject with many people. We don't want anyone to control us, okay?
But let me tell you something, my friend. You and I ultimately will be controlled by another power, either God. Or Satan. There is no in-between. If you try to live for self, You will in inevitably.
Revert to the control of Satan because self-will, self-service, self a self ruled life is the satanic pattern. Why, you can live the cleanest, most religious life in the world. As long as you rule yourself, That life is a satanic life. Oh, you may be shocked by that. You thought to be a satanic life, it had to be filthy and dirty.
Not at all. The people who attacked Jesus most ferociously. were not dissenters. As we understand them. It was the religious people.
They were very clean living people. But They were self serving and not God serving.
So, control is a very important issue.
Now, Enoch walked with God. This tells me that he submitted to God's sovereignty. That is, that God was supreme in authority and His authority was unequalled. It stood alone, and above all, it was unchallengeable. Undefeatable, unchangeable.
and only to be appreciated And submitted to. and he let God control his life walk.
Now He took God's turns at every crossroad, at every decision point. and in every change of season, because he knew Only a God-ruled life is a God-glorifying life. Only a spirit led life is a Christ pleasing? Live? Only a God-ruled life.
is a fruitful life.
So We know, then, that he respected the sovereignty of God. He feared the Lord. Am I saying he was afraid of God? Certainly not. To fear the Lord doesn't mean you're afraid of him, just the opposite.
When you fear the Lord, you stop being afraid of him. and enter into peace. In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence. and his children She'll find a place of safety, says The proverb. No Not at all.
Enoch was not afraid of God. He feared the Lord in the sense that he stood in awe. of God's Awesome greatness. He realized he was the God of the universe. He had the wisdom to create.
the eternal powers and planetary units and just set them in amazing order Do you want to trust that wisdom, or do you want to trust your own? Ha ha! Not much of a choice if you have any. sense at all. When I was coming along, we called that if you if you if you made a foolish decision, we called it horse sense.
No offence to you e equestrians or to the horses. Meaning Not very smart. It's not very smart. to have the opportunity to trust in the wisdom and power of a sovereign God who created this universe. And then make the choice to trust in your own cerebrum.
Oh my goodness. Don't. be so foolish is that? He knew God was awesome in His greatness, did Enoch. He knew God was unmatched in his power, And in his wisdom, and listen to this, and in his love.
You know, if there's A God at hand who wants to guide me who guides the planets in their courses. Who guides this earth in its rotation around the sun? Who guides the moon to be a light by night, as the psalmist says. And who's guiding the affairs of men, though they know it not, in accordance with prophetic. Literature in the Bible, predicted prophecy.
If I have a chance to let this God lead my life. Why would I not take it? Why would I not not let him lovingly control my life? You know, Enoch got it. He understood.
He understood. He understood that he was redeemed by God's blood somewhere along the way. Did he learn this from Adam? He walked. He he lived as a Contemporary of Adam for over 243 years.
Easily he could have. Head. communion with Adam and learned That when Adam and Eve clothed themselves With a fig leaf. God. said no, that's not sufficient, and he clothed them With skins, Genesis 3:21, meaning blood would have to be shed to correct the error and the sin and the rebellion.
that occurred in the garden. I believe, though I cannot prove it, That Enoch Went to Adam. and learn how to walk with God from Adam. Adam would have been I'm sure contrite. over his failure and the enormous implications of it, which we are still suffering from to day.
And I'm sure would have been glad to help another soul who wanted to walk with God know how to. And this, my friend. Was a key element. If you're going to walk with God, You've got to let him. control you.
You have free will and you can go your merry way. You can choose to be saved by the grace of God, but led by your own wisdom and your own strength and your own foresight. You know. We cringe today when we hear the word control. Because when fallen human beings control other human beings, so often, almost in every case, It results in cruel oppression, misery, and harmful abuse.
But God's control. is radically different. It is always benevolent, always Compassionate, always for our highest good. By definition, love is the desire for another's highest. good and I take that definition from the writings and teachings of Oswald Chambers.
So it was settled, I believe. It was settled in Enoch's soul. God was master. He was in his hands. May I inform you of something, my friend?
You and I are in God's hands anyway. We're already in this hands. The question is, will I submit and co operate with his hands. his hands meaning his power. His authority.
You know, we sing the song, He's got the whole world. In his hands. etcetera.
Well, he does. He's got rebels in his hands. but they choose not to let him control them.
So Are you and I realizing, is it settled in our soul that God is not only our master, he is a worthy master. There is no better. There is no other who loves us like Him. Uh This month, for a gift of any amount, receive Dr. Hinnant's book, Revelation Notes: An inspirational commentary on the book of Revelation.
This 758-page, in-depth commentary walks the reader through John's apocalypse verse by verse. It explains its historical context and language and identifies many inspiring principles for Christian living. Every Bible student, pastor, and church leader will benefit greatly from its informational entries, thought-provoking footnotes, and inspirational additional gleanings and messages. Give and get your copy today. For a gift of $60 or more, we'll send you the complete four-volume Hinnant End Times Prophecy Collection: The Second Coming of Christ, The Tribulation Story, Revelation Notes, a verse-by-verse commentary on Revelation, and the Day of the Lord commentary, which interprets all Old Testament.
Prophecies and foreshadowings of the end times. And if you are a Logos Bible software user, you may purchase all four of these books from the Logos Online Bookstore. You may give your gift today by visiting the donation page at greghinnantministries.org or sending your checks to Greg Hinnant Ministries, P.O. Box 788, High Point, North Carolina, 27260. Or by calling 336-882-1645.
Now, again, Dr. Hinnant. We sing the hymn sometimes, Love Lifed Me When No One Else Could Help. Or no one else would have. Love.
lifted me. Oh, I'm so glad to be under the control of the Holy Spirit. I am so at rest and at peace today. I haven't a clue what's going to come when I walk out of this radio studio here in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, at the Truth Network. When I walk outdoors, I don't know what I'm going to meet.
I don't know what's going to happen the rest of the afternoon. But I know who knows. I'm under his control. Life has become so simple. I just follow his instructions.
I could call him Daddy, but to me that's a little bit A little bit irreverent, but at the same time, When we're intimate before him, Hebrews tells us. we can call him Abba father. Abba meaning Papa Daddy. Oh, how wonderful that the Creator of the universe is not a deity He's our daddy. What a wonderful thing So from the other perspective, no, it's not irreverent when you understand that you are his redeemed child, and he wants intimacy.
with you. to be known not only as your unfathomably Awesome God. but as your personal father. How good he is. How wonderful it is that we can live under the fatherly control of God.
Today are you standing in awe of God's awesomeness? Do you voluntarily yield yourself, spirit, soul, mind, and body? To the sovereign, supreme authority, your Lord. You know, when Jesus left this world, he said to his disciples, Behold, all authority in heaven and earth. is given unto me, go ye therefore.
and disciple all nations. Oh my goodness, he is the one who's controlling our lives because. He has bought and paid for us. In 1 Corinthians 6.19 we read What? Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost?
which is in you which you have of God, And you are not your own? Meaning you don't belong to yourself. This world says I belong to myself. It's my life. I'll live it the way I want to live it.
I'll do what I want to do, go where I want to go, say what I want to say. Nobody can muzzle me, nobody can control me, nobody can fence me in. I am my own sovereign. All right. That's the way the sinner should live.
But if you're a Christian, you should be done. with that foolishness. The rest of this Text 1 Corinthians 6.20 says for you are bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God. This is a picture of a slave being purchased.
from the market in ancient Rome. You would stand out there naked, And your owner could look you over and he could Check you out. From every angle, he could then ask to look inside and see if your teeth were healthy. He could Pull your hair to see if it was about to come out if you wanted to. And then he would pay the price and you belong to him.
Well, Jesus drew us out of this terrible market place, of the commerce of slavery. This whole world's is under the bondage of the slavery of sin. And thus to its master Satan subject to his evil whims, An evil guidance He got you into harm, not good. He got you into folly, not wisdom. He got you into hatred, not love.
He got you to absolute oblivion, not Paradise.
Now, I can choose to let Jesus, who is my sovereign, be my sovereign. I can joyfully, consciously, every day, embrace Every situation that touches my life comes from his hands, and I can embrace it. You know If you're going to overcome the adversities of life, you've got to know that God is in control. You've got to know that you're going to voluntarily let Him have His. Way So the rest of this verse says, Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's, that is, God's possession.
So here, I am convinced That Enoch understood the sovereignty of God and joyfully. easily submitted to the control of God.
Now what I said in the beginning of this Episode is absolutely true. One of two superpowers will control your life. either Satan, who is supernatural, He has supernatural powers. And if you choose to live a selfish life, you are unwittingly, unknowingly. Letting Satan, the master of the self, Serving lifestyle.
Control you. If, on the other hand, You realize this redemptive truth. You're bought with a price. Jesus' blood has bought you from the slave market of sin and domination to its master, Satan. And you are joyful and glad to say, Lord, here I am, I am yours.
You are my sovereign Lord and my loving Father. I am delighted to have the opportunity to trust your benevolent control over every aspect of my life. past, present and future. I am delighted, double delighted. Double dull idea.
To trust your wisdom, not mine. Your power, not mine. Your guidance, not mine. Your planning, not mine. And do your bidding, not what I think I want to do in life.
Then I have the assurance that when I stand in your presence, And look upon your face. I will know that I have been pleasing to you simply by surrendering. to what you have asked me to be, and to do. in time and space. Friend.
That's the way we should live the Enoch life style. That's the path. this marked out for us. Yeah. Enoch also learned Contemplation.
If he walked with God, he was contemplating God. You know, if you walk with someone, you're thinking about them during the course of your conversations and interactions with them.
So if Enoch walked and talked with God, he also contemplated him. God was always in his thoughts. Always in his thoughts. Is God in your thoughts always? Sadly, too many questions.
have everything else under the sun on their mind. Except the Lord.
So is his mind, or rather Enoch's mind, was Affectionately entwined with God's is your mind. Is mamma aunt. affectionately Entwined with God through the day. You know, when I go about in my automobile from one call to another and my office to my home and on trips. I'm thinking about the Lord.
I'm talking to Him, thinking about His Word, thinking about what He's doing. what he has done, talking to him, praising him, thanking him. praying for needs in my own life, my wife, Her family, my family. Those we come across My thoughts are affectionately entwined with Jesus. I know Enox.
Practice this. Enoch meditated on what God said to him. God's word was on his mind all the time. You know, Psalm 1 tells us. that Bible man, as I call him, He's thinking about the Word of God day and night.
In his law doth he meditate. day and night. And meditate there means to Mutter in pleasure.
So he was thinking about the Word of God, this anonymous. man of the Bible in Psalm 1. Verses 1, 2, and 3. He was thinking about the word all the time. Are you?
Am I? I'm convinced Enoch meditated on what God said. In other words, he didn't have a printed Bible as we do. But when God spoke, He remembered it, and he thought about it. Not only what God said, but what He didn't say.
Not only what God said, but what He implied. He read between the lines of the oral delivery of the Word of God, just as we can become intimate with Scripture and read not only the lines of Scripture, line upon line, but what God implies by that, and what he leaves out.
So the word was precious, and he contemplated on it day and night. Enoch pondered the way God was guiding him. He thought about that path. And he contemplated it, and I'm sure he was sharing it with others, whether they. received it or not.
GAN's lifestyle He thought about that. And he thought about God's guidance. He remembered how God guided him at one point and another. Are we thinking about God's lifestyle? the lifestyle we see in Jesus, the Son of God on this earth.
Are we thinking about how God has guided us in the past? How he may be guiding us today. Maybe he's requiring you to launch out into the deep and do something you've never done before in abandonment in God. Whatever he's calling you to do, think about it as you do it. Enoch recalled and studied the way the Spirit of God worked in his life.
He knew the ways of the Holy Spirit. Do you? Is the Holy Spirit just a biblical concept or is he an active part of your life? He's there. Receive if you've been born again, ask the Holy Spirit to fill you.
Ask Christ to baptize you with His Spirit. And then trust the Spirit's loving wisdom to the guide you. When he speaks, obey. If he checks, stop. If you are unsure, pray for a revelation.
of the Holy Spirit's guidance. Enoch kept his meditations set or fixed on the things above. As Paul urges in Colossians 3, verse 2, set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. Does that mean I can't think about worldly things at all? Not at all.
It means. that your affection, your mind and emotions your devotion And your love. your affections. are set. on the eternal things, not the temporal things of this world.
You realize this world's going to pass. And so, realizing that, you don't put all your eggs in the world's basket. No, you do the things that you're to do here as unto the Lord with an eye on eternity. You know, I keep abreast of what's going on in the world, newsworthy things, but I keep my breast. Full of God's goodness.
Think about that. What's in your breast? Just the newsworthy things of this world It's come and go. It's almost like a An old episode of an old soap opera Changing every day, but never really changing. Is that what's in your breast, or is your breast full?
of the good news of God. And particularly as we are talking about here, Learning from the Bible how to live, and then looking to the prophetic scriptures to know what's coming. Oh, my goodness, to be carnally minded, wrote Paul, is death that is, it separates you from fellowship with God. It doesn't cause you to lose your salvation if you're a Christian and you're thinking carnally that is, without the enlightenment of the Word but you will surely lose your fellowship with the Lord. But he said, to be spiritually minded is life in peace.
You can live every moment. of every day. of every week, month, and year, In the life and peace of Jesus Christ. Why not? Why not do it?
if your contemplation like Enoch's. is set upon the Lord. Are you spiritually minded today? As Enoch was, to be sure. Are you pondering the things of God or The things are black.
for only. Meditating on the material. temporal things of this world. Today Satan is using the media To exercise complete mind control over the thoughtless masses, the unthinking masses. Be different, be a man or woman of contemplation.
and let your contemplation Be centered upon your God, your Savior, your sovereign, his word. and the way His Spirit is working in your life. and glorify him as Enoch did eons ago. If this message has blessed you, tell your friends and please consider helping us stay on the air by sending your tax-deductible donation to Greg Hennett Ministries. Also, remember, you may download the Until He Comes podcast from your preferred podcast app.
May you walk closely with Christ and trust and obey Him in your daily tests of faith and patience until He Comes. This is the Truth Network. Uh
